The Barn at Liberty Farm Traditional Cache
csoaper71: This cache is one of our favorites! It brings cachers to one of the most beautiful spots and most photographed properties in the county. The property owners are friends with COs and gave permission for the hide. However, the property owners spend little time here and a caretaker has intimidated more than a few cachers. GZ is no longer kept up and vines often obscure the hide. Additionally, part of the "cover" is missing. So, we are sadly taking this one out of the loop. The historic aspect of the property and the community of Paris made this also a good fit in our History of Fauquier County series. We will be adding a new cache to our series in the near future to replace this one.
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(micro)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Fifth in the series of Historic Places in Northern Fauquier County
Some of this information is from the book, "Valley of the Crooked Run, The History of a Frontier Road", by Norman L. Baker, 2001:
The farm Liberty was the home site of Thomas Middleton, Kimble Hicks, and his son-in-law Thomas Shearman, early settlers of the Paris area. The house, located on the opposite side of the road from the barn was probably built in the 1830's by Thomas Shearman who married Hicks' daughter Celia. The Hicks family and the Shearmans are buried on the portion of the property where the Barn is located.
The barn is not as early as the house but still dates from the mid-1800's and is a nice example of an early bank barn. The foundation of a house earlier than the house across the street is located on the property with the Barn. The town of Paris was once a thriving commercial town with many businesses to serve travelers between Winchester and Alexandria. There was a regular stage coach stop at the western end of town where hotels and stores could be found. Nowadays, you can dine or lodge at the Ashby Inn, stroll the streets lined with early 19th century homes, or visit an antique shop. The tannery, wheel wrights' and blacksmiths' shops have faded into the past.
Situated outside of the village of Paris, the Barn is a nice walk from the village center. Be sure to look across the road at the lovely historic farm known as Ovoka as you drive or walk into Paris.
On the weekends, the Barn is open with fresh eggs and vegetables for purchase, as well as locally made goats milk soaps, homemade dog biscuits, and fiber for spinners. It is a treat to time your visit with the Barn's open hours to see how this beautiful building has been repurposed. Go inside!
Cache is hidden outside of fenced property. Please don't disturb the animals that may approach the fence to investigate you. Also, the property is under video survelliance so please be mindful of what you scratch, etc.
The Liberty house across the road is privately owned by another individual. Please don't park in the driveway for the house! Rather park in the yard at the Barn if it's open, (pull through the gates) or park in front of the gates when it's closed.
The Barn's owner has given permission for the cache to be hidden on the property and hopes you enjoy your visit to Paris. Information about the activities at the Barn can be found at www.parisbarns.com.
Congratulations from Chance the emu to Udderly and Gr8caches for the shared FTF!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Evtug ng rlr yriry.
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures